In recent years it has become evident that the rehabilitation and treatment of injured joints can be expedited by use of active and continuous passive motion (CPM) of the joint. Continuous passive motion entails inducing movement of certain limb portions without requiring muscle coordination, strength, or control by the patient. Numerous studies have shown that CPM of the different limbs and joints accelerates healing, and very importantly results in a fuller range of motion of the joint at the end of the course of therapy. The recovery cycle from a muscular skeletal injury progressively moves from a passive involvement to an active involvement range of motion. Therefore, a device for therapeutic treatment of joints/limbs should provide both a passive mode in which the limb is exercised by the device and an active mode for the patient to use the device to exercise the limb and joints once they become healthy enough. Furthermore the device should include an adjustable range of motion and force settings to accommodate different patient requirements.
Therefore, there is a need for a device for therapeutic active and CPM exercising of joints which can be adapted for different types of limbs and associated joints.